Endicott's have bought in a batch of centre and side opening Dutch issue 'Goretex' Bivy Bags in excellent condition. They are modifying these (to order) at the moment with heavy duty YKK zips.
The bags weigh 1300 grammes. This is due to the heavy duty construction, quality of the materials and also because of the rather useful kip-mat holders (more of which later). However the whole package feels robust and reliable. The few extra grams I'll just have to shave off somewhere else. However - for those ultra-light freaks out there this modest weight will probably have you shaking your heads.
The modified bag costs £49 and the link is 'ere
http://www.endicotts.co.uk/product_...d=720&osCsid=c22a23de7433312ae2d1312bd087712a
The side opening one is 'ere http://www.endicotts.co.uk/product_...d=721&osCsid=c22a23de7433312ae2d1312bd087712a
Here is the bag being tested and modelled by my VERY understanding wife (!).
You will see that it has a large protection flap over the zip area.
It is a roomy bag (my wife is 5' 8" and I am 6ft) and there is plenty of spare foot room for longer framed people. I am 16 stone and find the space more than ample.
The sleeping bag was a down one and the loft was not affected much by the weight of the fabric. The round bulls-eye foot area helped this lofting.
The fabric is PTFE backed with a brushed face to it. Inside has the usual micro-mesh-facing over the membrane and the sealed seams to help movement in the bag (membranes are notorious for clinging to your sleeping bag material) and create a more comfortable environment.
The face-hood area has a draw-cord
This is the inside view of the modified Zip (YKK):
This is an outside view of the zip which is under the sizeable storm flap:
The underside of the bag has a pair of kip-mat holders. I have found these very useful as I tend to 'migrate' off my matt in the night. It has also been useful in a hammock as it has secured my matt (for extra warmth) underneath me - otherwise the matt tends to shift during the night. The kip matt holders are quite narrow so I would look to use either the narrower models of self-inflating matts or a cut down closed cell one. If you do not want this feature or want to strip a few grammes off the package then you could cut these holders off. But I quite like the option and the few extra grammes.
Now to the testing:
I filled the test area with a hosepipe (well my 2-year old did) to a depth of 1 - 1.5 inches.
Covering the bag directly with water and spraying it
The water beaded off well
Of course this amount of water under pressure did 'wet out' the surface of the bag eventually!
The weight of the water did affect the loft of the bag. But this would affect all bags and it would be unusual for such a puddle to remain on a bag in such a way (unless you lay very still all night!)
I had my 'model' roll from one side to the other to ensure the sides of the bag got wet and also to simulate natural rolling in the night. Of course if you rolled right over on your front then the zip and the storm flap (and your face opening) would be in the water!
The end result: a very wet test area and wet outer to the bag - all over.
Underneath the storm flap the zip was dry:
With no sign of water ingress due to spray or direct application of water to the flap area at the mid-point of the zip.
This was the same for the bottom of the zip but managed to flick some water under the flap as I opened it to take the photo. Even if this was not the case - this was the area that had the most water poured onto it. It remained dry.
However the zip itself is not water-resistant (I would argue that it does not need to be under this highly effective storm flap and under normal usuage). But as you can see when I poured some water directly onto the zip it went through:
In conclusion I would give this bag my thumbs up with a 3.5 - 4 out of 5
Pros:
Quality of construction and materials
A good quality YKK Zip modification
Massive Storm Flap
Kip Mat holders
Centre opening - great for hammock use - a doddle to get in and out of (even with a side opening sleeping bag)
Good price for condition of bag and modification.
Endy's Customer Service
Cons:
A slightly more weighty package than many - by around 300gms.
Kip mat holders could be a cm or two wider (very minor niggle) but do the job well
If you sleep in rivers then any opening (zip, flap or otherwise) on the bag will not do!
The bags weigh 1300 grammes. This is due to the heavy duty construction, quality of the materials and also because of the rather useful kip-mat holders (more of which later). However the whole package feels robust and reliable. The few extra grams I'll just have to shave off somewhere else. However - for those ultra-light freaks out there this modest weight will probably have you shaking your heads.
The modified bag costs £49 and the link is 'ere
http://www.endicotts.co.uk/product_...d=720&osCsid=c22a23de7433312ae2d1312bd087712a
The side opening one is 'ere http://www.endicotts.co.uk/product_...d=721&osCsid=c22a23de7433312ae2d1312bd087712a
Here is the bag being tested and modelled by my VERY understanding wife (!).
You will see that it has a large protection flap over the zip area.
It is a roomy bag (my wife is 5' 8" and I am 6ft) and there is plenty of spare foot room for longer framed people. I am 16 stone and find the space more than ample.
The sleeping bag was a down one and the loft was not affected much by the weight of the fabric. The round bulls-eye foot area helped this lofting.
The fabric is PTFE backed with a brushed face to it. Inside has the usual micro-mesh-facing over the membrane and the sealed seams to help movement in the bag (membranes are notorious for clinging to your sleeping bag material) and create a more comfortable environment.
The face-hood area has a draw-cord
This is the inside view of the modified Zip (YKK):
This is an outside view of the zip which is under the sizeable storm flap:
The underside of the bag has a pair of kip-mat holders. I have found these very useful as I tend to 'migrate' off my matt in the night. It has also been useful in a hammock as it has secured my matt (for extra warmth) underneath me - otherwise the matt tends to shift during the night. The kip matt holders are quite narrow so I would look to use either the narrower models of self-inflating matts or a cut down closed cell one. If you do not want this feature or want to strip a few grammes off the package then you could cut these holders off. But I quite like the option and the few extra grammes.
Now to the testing:
I filled the test area with a hosepipe (well my 2-year old did) to a depth of 1 - 1.5 inches.
Covering the bag directly with water and spraying it
The water beaded off well
Of course this amount of water under pressure did 'wet out' the surface of the bag eventually!
The weight of the water did affect the loft of the bag. But this would affect all bags and it would be unusual for such a puddle to remain on a bag in such a way (unless you lay very still all night!)
I had my 'model' roll from one side to the other to ensure the sides of the bag got wet and also to simulate natural rolling in the night. Of course if you rolled right over on your front then the zip and the storm flap (and your face opening) would be in the water!
The end result: a very wet test area and wet outer to the bag - all over.
Underneath the storm flap the zip was dry:
With no sign of water ingress due to spray or direct application of water to the flap area at the mid-point of the zip.
This was the same for the bottom of the zip but managed to flick some water under the flap as I opened it to take the photo. Even if this was not the case - this was the area that had the most water poured onto it. It remained dry.
However the zip itself is not water-resistant (I would argue that it does not need to be under this highly effective storm flap and under normal usuage). But as you can see when I poured some water directly onto the zip it went through:
In conclusion I would give this bag my thumbs up with a 3.5 - 4 out of 5
Pros:
Quality of construction and materials
A good quality YKK Zip modification
Massive Storm Flap
Kip Mat holders
Centre opening - great for hammock use - a doddle to get in and out of (even with a side opening sleeping bag)
Good price for condition of bag and modification.
Endy's Customer Service
Cons:
A slightly more weighty package than many - by around 300gms.
Kip mat holders could be a cm or two wider (very minor niggle) but do the job well
If you sleep in rivers then any opening (zip, flap or otherwise) on the bag will not do!
:twak: :sulkoff: 
